Room 3 and 8: Digital Skills
Problem Definition: Educators, workforce trainers, and other intermediaries are under-skilled and under-prepared to provide digital skills support.
Why is this a problem:
- Programs struggle to differentiate, disentangle, and understand the relationship between occupational and foundational digital skills.
- There is a lack of trust that prospective participants have with organizations delivering digital literacy and their portfolio of services. If participants don't receive the intended outcomes (e.g. meeting specified client goals, getting a job, etc.) that were promoted as part of their participation in a program, there can be mistrust of that organization by the entire community. In addition, there is a lack of awareness of services offered by community organizations.
- Language, accessibility, and other barriers stand in the way of everyone receiving digital skills training and digital supports.
- There is a lack of localized data about the benefits of investment in digital skills training and supports.
- Although students receive digital fluency instruction, programs for student connectivity rarely include digital skill instruction or support for the adults responsible for supporting these students.
- There are limited in-language community representatives for English-language learners.
- The most trusted and embedded organizations don't always have the capacity to develop high-quality digital skills curricula or teaching methods.
Flip the Context:
- Foundational and occupational digital skills training, coaching, and support are available to the individuals who need it.
- Organizations and intermediaries are aware of the digital skills training and support available and work together to ensure that individuals have access to the training, coaching, and supports they need.
- Individuals have access to on-demand digital supports as well as formal training opportunities, depending on their needs.
- Educators, trainers, and other intermediaries have the skills they need to teach others through effective and research-based methods.
- We have localized longitudinal data available to show outcomes and to evaluate the efficacy of digital skills training.
- There is Digital Inclusion staff at the state and local government levels to support the development of digital skills programs.
Timed Prompts:
- How might we make both foundational digital literacy skills support and occupational digital literacy skills support available in communities for anyone who needs it?
- How might we support the development of state and local government expertise, support, and resources for digital skills and digital inclusion efforts?
- How might we identify data points that can be used to demonstrate digital literacy skills' impact and outcomes?
- How might we help organizations work together to connect individuals with the types of digital skills support they need, when they need it?
- How might we ensure trust-building and encourage community-wide participation in digital upskilling?
